


Revenge of the Cuttlefish

by ViridianPanther



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Leviathan DLC, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-29
Updated: 2012-08-29
Packaged: 2017-11-13 04:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/499232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViridianPanther/pseuds/ViridianPanther
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leviathan of Dis DLC SPOILERS! Kaidan sits at Shepard's side as he writes up his report after an exhausting encounter. He's stubborn, he's exhausted, he has a cute smile—and, Kaidan realises, he's fragile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revenge of the Cuttlefish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spicyshimmy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicyshimmy/gifts).



> I had the idea for this after beating the Leviathan DLC, but I doubt I'd have been compelled to actually write it to completion it unless spicyshimmy's birthday had cropped up.
> 
> So... um... thanks, shimmy. And happy birthday! (And I'm really sorry about the appalling title!)

"How's the head?"

"Better."

Kaidan placed a palm on his forehead again. "You still look like death," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing Shepard again on the lips.

"I'm fine."

"You just had a giant crustacean in your mind," Kaidan said, smiling but still inwardly repulsed by the idea. Not quite indoctrination—not _really_ —but the Leviathan had still invaded his thoughts without his permission.

_Rape_ is a strong word, but Kaidan wasn't sure what else to call it.

He'd dimmed the lighting to forty per cent, out of instinct, and _insisted_ that Shepard get out of his clothes and into the bed, despite his protests that he had a report to write. _"Chakwas said you needed some rest,"_ Kaidan had reminded him, _"and I have a medical degree. Don't argue."_

Shepard had settled for removing his jacket, at least, and eating some chicken noodles while typing up his report with one hand. EDI had offered to dictate, but Shepard had refused.

Sometimes, Kaidan realised, Shepard was more stubborn than he was.

_At this point I regained consciousness to discover that the diver's computer had entered emergency sleep mode to preserve power. I activated the ESRR to ascend to the surface and was pulled from the mech by Major Alenko…_

"You could mention that it made your nose bleed," Kaidan suggested.

"It made my nose bleed?"

"Did you not notice?"

"I just remember being freezing," Shepard said, returning to the end and continuing his write-up.

"You looked like you'd been in a fist-fight in a freezer. Naked," Kaidan said, remembering the horrible grey texture of his skin as he'd sat down in the shuttle, breathing slowly, somehow managing to throw up only once.

"Have you been fantasising about that?"

"No." Kaidan chuckled, regardless of the appalling taste. If _he_ was an awful romantic, then Shepard was abysmal. One of the by-products of the war, he supposed.

Just my luck, Kaidan thought. With Rahna, all those years ago, they'd had Vyrnnus terrorising them; now, it was a massive war that was tearing apart everything he loved.

Vancouver. His mom. His dad. And for one dreadful moment, he'd thought Shepard was going to join them.

"There," Shepard said. Kaidan peered at the tablet again. _5693 words._

"It's a mission report, not a thesis."

"It was a very long mission," Shepard said, placing the tablet aside and yawning. "Come here."

_For god's sake,_ Kaidan thought. "Not tonight, Shepard. You're exhausted."

"I know," Shepard whispered, closing his eyes and rolling onto his side. "Just get in here."

His stubbornness should have annoyed him, but Kaidan couldn't bring himself to complain. He settled for a sigh of protest as he pulled his boots off, lifted the covers away and slid inwards.

He tested Shepard's temperature with his cheek for a moment, warm, soft, yet rough with stubble, before settling closer behind him and smiling, sliding his left hand up Shepard's t-shirt and resting it against his belly.

"That's nice," Shepard whispered, tilting his head a little so they could kiss on the lips.

Kaidan rubbed his hand up a little further, to the centre of his chest, stroking the lines of Shepard's muscles, tasting chicken noodles on his mouth.

"Get some rest, Shepard."

It only took a minute or so for Shepard to fall asleep, his mouth hanging slightly open and his chest rising and falling slowly below Kaidan's palm. He _did_ look beautiful when he was sleeping. Cute, even.

_"If you start calling me 'baby' I'll throw you into the Omega-4,"_ Shepard had said, the first time Kaidan had told him his smile was cute. They'd both laughed. Kaidan had said he'd do the same if Shepard had started calling him 'sweetie,' or 'Kai.'

He wondered, momentarily, if Shepard was dreaming of the Leviathan. Of his own indoctrination. Indoctrination… there he went again. Not _really_ indoctrination, a much more advanced process using quantum entanglement—dammit, it _was_ indoctrination, albeit by another name, and it was hard not to feel possessive, to feel like Shepard had been violated and that a part of him had been ransacked, too.

Cute, he was. Precious, kind-hearted, caring, goofy, _beautiful_ as well.

But now, Kaidan realised, fragile.


End file.
